James King went to work at Barnesville’s wastewater treatment plant in 1966. He didn’t know if he would be there very long but ended up spending 42 and a half years cleaning city sewage out of water before it flows downstream to Lake Tobesofkee and points south.

“Ralph Barron hired me and trained me. After two years, they told me I was eligible to sign up for the city retirement plan but I felt like I probably wouldn’t be here that long,” King recalled last week in a room next to the lab at the upgraded facility that will be dedicated in his name Wednesday.